


Dream

by GrimmStormborn



Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel), PlayChoices
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 12:33:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15930533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrimmStormborn/pseuds/GrimmStormborn
Summary: How about flashback/flash-forward scenes that don’t make us weep?





	Dream

**Author's Note:**

> For Jake Appreciation Week Day 6: Favourite AU
> 
> This fic was previously posted on my Tumblr.
> 
> Just going to set the AU scene here -
> 
> 1\. Rourke is dead, MASADA has been destroyed, the world is saved, help is on its way, and the 12 students and Varryn survived.   
> 2\. Contrary to what Jake keeps insisting, he has had a few friendly interactions back in Costa Rica. He is not incredibly close with them, but he still shares an affable friendship with a select few.

**Disclaimer:** All characters mentioned belong to Pixelberry.

 

**Dream**

 

We are back at the Elyys’tell.

After everything that went down back at the MASADA, including Rourke and Lundgren’s death, and setting the time back to before Mount Atropo erupted, I’m still not sure how we are all alive.

But why question things when they are going well, for once?

So I trudge on towards the Throne Room, where I am to return the 12 idols I managed to collect over the past few weeks – they were never mine, and it only makes sense that I return them to where they truly belong.

I begin to take the idols out of my bag one by one, deciding to hand over these myself. Most of my friends were tired, some even hurt, and they were all recuperating with the help of a group of healer Vaantis. Craig and Raj had headed straight to Seraxa’s hut when they were back, where they proceeded to have a feast, and they still haven’t stopped eating. Deciding that I wouldn’t be able to do anything till I return the idols, I ended up here in the Throne Room with Uqzhaal.

I am gathering the idols and giving them a wipe before handing them over to Uqzhaal, when I hear Jake’s voice from behind me.

“Heya, Princess,” he greets me, and nods over at Uqzhaal before kissing the top of my head. I smile and turn to him.

His arm is bandaged in bright-coloured leaves, the same ones that have been pasted over the cuts on his forehead and cheek. I gently trace the leaf on his cheek sadly, and Jake catches my hand.

“I’m alright, Princess. Really,” he assures me, and I give him a small smile.

“How are the rest?” I ask as I continue wiping the idols. Jake plops down on the ground in front of me.

“They’ve been in a better shape, definitely. But they’re resting well. Even Varryn, who was twitching restlessly till Pop Culture Petey sat next to his cot,” Jake says, and my smile widens.

“That’s nice to hear,” I quietly say. “What do you think awaits us back home?” I add after some time, and Jake gives me a rueful smile.

“I don’t know, Princess. We can only hope for the best,” he says, and holds his hand out to me. I slip mine into his, squeezing it gently. I am terrified of Jake’s fate, of Diego’s inevitable heartbreak, and of exactly what we will be returning to back home. We did tamper with time to save the world…what if we had damaged something substantial in that process?

“We will worry about that later, aight? Let’s focus on now,” came Jake’s soft voice, and I nod my head.

“Let’s focus on now. We do need to get to Celestial before dawn, anyway – the rescue team will be there by then,” I say and quicken my pace of work.

“Let me help you,” he says, and insists to do so even after I tell him not to. I hand him the clean idol, and he hands it over to Uqzhaal, who is at the far corner where he’s clearing the space meant for the idols. At the back of my mind, I remember the flash of memories of each of my friends, and wonder if it’ll happen again.

 _No…everything’s over, now. Surely, I won’t be able to feel anything anymore. Not after the way Rourke had messed with the power of the idols,_ I think to myself.

Yet, as I pass the wolf idol to Jake, a sense of dread rises within me. I open my mouth to tell him not to touch it, but it’s too late. His fingers brush against mine on the idol, and I feel myself hurtling through space and time all over again.

* * *

I am staring right at Jake when I adjust to the blinding white light. Wearing a black jacket and a grey t-shirt and a pair of casual jeans, I almost don’t recognise him without his green jacket as he saunters past. Turning around, I find that I am standing before a rustic-looking beach bar. There was barely any soul there, and a quick glance at the wall clock on the wall behind the bar tells me why: it’s almost three in the morning.

“We’re closing in a bit, pretty boy,” sighs the barmaid. She looks almost ethereal, her bronze skin glowing in the moonlight and her bright red hair thick and curly, pulled up in a messy bun.

“Oh come on, Merida. Can’t a regular get a little drunk before you close shop for the night? I had a late flight,” Jake says, giving her his trademark smirk.

The woman seems to hesitate, before relenting. “It’s _Dayna_. And you’re incorrigible. The usual?” Dayna asks, whipping out a bottle of whiskey.

“What else?” comes Jake’s reply as he starts munching on the nuts from the bowl that’s almost empty.

40 minutes and six glasses of whiskey later, Jake and Dayna are walking back home together. Jake, ever the gentleman, decided that he’d walk Dayna back, even though he seems a little drunk. At this point, I think Dayna is just amusing him by letting him ‘walk her home’.

“In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t _–hic _–__ have drunk tonight. Gotta fly a bunch’a kids over to that weird island in _–hic _–_ _ a few hours,” Jake admits.

“You better drink a shit ton of water before you snooze, pretty boy. Don’t kill yourself and a bunch of young ones,” Dayna sighs, and something tells me this isn’t the first time she’s dishing out this advice to the pilot.

“Nah. I’m the best damn pilot there is in the whole of Costa Rica. And if I get too sleepy, well, there’s always auto-pilot,” he grins, and Dayna chuckles.

They finally stop in front of a modest cottage – a simple yet charming house with a small front yard, sunflowers and daisies lining the brown picket fence. Even in the darkness, the snug, intimate and warm allure of the cottage was almost palpable.

“Wanna come in? Have a cup of tea to sober you up a little?” Dayna asks as she unlocks the door, and Jake shrugs before following her in. He settles down on a bar stool in the small, quaint kitchen, hand propping his exhausted face. Dayna sets the tea kettle on the stove. He looks around the cottage with mild interest, and I assume this is the first time he’s here. The inside of the cottage is as small as one would expect it to be, but it is lined with little trinkets and endless photographs. Most of them have Dayna and a really attractive brown woman. Some others have Dayna with, who I assume to be, her parents. And a few others have both Dayna and the other woman, with a bunch of people their age. The house, no matter its size, radiates with such strong sense of intimacy and comfort.

After a few moments of silence, Jake’s slightly slurred but still audible voice rings through the quiet cottage.

“You have a beautiful home,” he says, and then adds, “Where’s Larissa?”

“Thank you. And she’s at her parents’, probably be back by tomorrow evening. Her niece’s graduation was today,” Dayna smiles.

“That’s…nice.” His eyes are trained on the many photographs on the walls, looking at them almost…wistfully.

Dayna places a cup of steaming tea before Jake, and sits opposite him.

“That’s an awfully short comment coming from you,” she notes.

Jake turns to her, shaking his head with a smile as he sips the tea. His eyebrows are furrowed in deep thoughts, and Dayna seems notice this.

“Are you going to have your very first episode of drunk-crying before me?” she jokes, and Jake almost chokes on his tea.

“Geez, woman. You’ll never let me live _that_ down. I just…” he trails off.

Dayna stays silent, waiting for him.

Jake lets out a frustrated sigh. “It’s this whole… _family_ thing you and Larissa have, y’know? This…love. And companionship. And warmth. It’s just…sickening,” he says. Dayna raises an eyebrow.

“Sickening?” she repeats.

“ _Yes,_ sickening.”

A few seconds of silence later: “And it wouldn’t hurt to have that someday.”

He practically mumbles the bit, but Dayna seems to catch it. She smiles.

“What makes you think you wouldn’t?” she asks him, and Jake snorts.

“I’ll be in one place today, and a completely different one tomorrow,” he answers her.

“You’ve been here for quite a while, haven’t you? Ever since Larissa and I moved to the town six months ago. You seem to like it here well enough, _even_ if you don’t talk to anyone else much – why must you move again?” she asks again.

Jake opens his mouth, and then catches himself, his eyes shining; as if realising he was about to say something he shouldn’t say, he clears his throat. And then he shakes his head.

“Ah, forget it. This whole family…love…thing, it’s not for me. I prefer being the way I am,” he shrugs, and finishes his tea. “This whole sentimental thing - it’s all just a weird dream that exists on a completely different plane of existence.”

Dayna looks at him quietly for a long while, and then sighs.

“You can stay the same, love. Of course you can,” she tells him, grabbing his mug and placing it in the sink. “But don’t write all your wishes off as a ‘weird dream’ just because you don’t see it happening yet. You never know when life will take a complete turn,” she finishes.

Jake only grins as he stands up. “Funny how I just _know_ that’s pretty impossible for me,” he insists, and grabs his jacket.

“Well, thanks for the tea. I’m going to be sleepy, but at least I’ll be sober enough for the take-off tomorrow. And thank you for digging this intimate conversation out of me – you’re lucky I was drunk,” he points out, and Dayna rolls her eyes.

“Alright, macho. Get out of here. And get home safely.”

Chuckling, Jake walks to the door, and leans in to kiss her cheek. “Send my love to Larissa. And don’tcha dare get outta meeting your girlfriend’s parents the next time round, Sansa Stark,” he says.

“Ugh, get lost,” Dayna grumbles with a smile, and Jake walks away. Right at the gate, he turns around to gaze longingly at the cottage one more time.

“As if,” he finally scoffs, and strolls away.

* * *

And then I was pulled forth, tugged into an unknown space. It takes a longer time than it usually would, but the blinding light finally clears.

I was staring at an elegant and simple white house, with a spacious front yard and white picket fence lining the plot. It must be fall: there are dry leaves peppering the yellow patches of grass and a couple of pumpkins at the either ends of the gate.

I walk towards the gate, and realise that something’s…different. I look down, and see myself carrying a bag of groceries, and spot a distinct baby bump.

I look back up and the gate swings open as a child, looking to be about three or four years of age, runs up to me and wraps his tiny arms around my knees. Behind him, a Dalmatian bounds up to me, greeting me with soft barks.

“Mommy’s back! Did you get my candy bar, Mommy? Did you? _Did you?_ ” he asks as he jumps on the spot, and I find myself laughing.

“Yes, I did. But you can only have it after lunch,” I say, and the kid pouts. It takes him just a split second, though, to smile again.

“Well, okay, as long as I get to eat it,” he cheerfully says and runs off again. “Daddy, Mommy’s back! _And she got the candy!_ ” he yells.

The front door swings open as I walk toward it, and out walks Jake. His long hair wet and his green t-shirt fitting him snugly, he jogs down the few steps to rush to me.

“There’s my favourite lady in the whole wide world. You could’ve waited for me, I would’ve gotten the groceries,” he says as he takes the bag of groceries from me and gives me a soft kiss on my lips.

“Well, I distinctly remember Sleepy Sleeperson grumbling that ‘the plane’s safe on auto-pilot, so just piss off now’ – how could I ever think of waking you up from that deep of a slumber?” I ask with an eyebrow raised. Jake grimaces.

“Aw, honey. We’ve _got_ to work on your nicknames.”

He ducks in time to miss my smack to his head, and darts away from me. “Stay here and keep an eye on Michael, I’ll be back in a bit,” he says. I shake my head before making my way to the small wooden porch swing (looks to be handmade), and sit on it with a tired sigh. Michael is running around the porch kicking a small football, attempting to play soccer with the dog and failing terribly. A ginger cat purrs and leaps onto the space next to me. It feels so peaceful and cosy.

It feels like home.

A few minutes later, Jake returns with two steaming mugs of tea. He gently moves the cat to the ground before taking a seat next to me and passes me a cup.

“Mmm, Earl Grey,” I whisper in content as I take a sip.

Jake smiles and kisses my cheek softly. We stay quiet for a long while, before I turn to him, only to realise that he is looking at me intently.

“Jake?” I call to him, and he says nothing. He only tugs a strand of my dark curl behind my ear.

“You look like a dream, Princess. Like a dream that came true,” he whispers. I’d have snorted at the corny line, but he doesn’t seem to look like he is joking. In fact, his eyes are shining, almost as if brimming with tears. I smile and run my fingers through his hair.

“Well then, isn’t Aragorn quite the lucky man that this dream came true?” I say instead, and Jake’s face brightens with a smile.

“Yes, well, this dream _also_ yells at me all the time when she’s pregnant, and scares me to death,” he says as he places his mug on the patio table; the moment is over. I roll my eyes.

“Then _stop_ doing things that infuriate me, it’s that simple,” I quip back.

Jake chuckles. “Still doesn’t erase the fact that you scare me. Besides…” he trails off. He gets down on his knees in front of me, gently kissing my rather obvious baby bump.

“…if you keep yelling at me, my princess in here will be disturbed. And I cannot have that,” Jake murmurs, resting his cheek against my belly and closing his eyes.

I let him have his peace for about five seconds, and then I tap his head gently. He looks up at me, his chin now resting against my bump.

“I thought _I_ was your princess?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Saying nothing, Jake grins and kisses his way up, before finally kissing my lips softly. “Love, you are not just my princess; you are my _queen_ ,” he whispers against my lips, and even though I really don’t want to, I seem to be smiling again.

“…Cheesy cheeseball,” I mumble under my breath, and Jake throws his head back in laughter.

“But you ain’t complaining,” he points out, and kissed me on the lips once again, and then pecked my nose.

“Daddy, stop! You’re gunna give Mommy the cooties,” comes a voice from behind Jake, and we look up. Michael stands there with his muddy football, making a face. I begin to giggle.

“Well…now that I am done giving Mommy the cooties…” Jake trails off, turning his attention completely to the boy. He takes one deliberate step forward, and Michael shrieks in glee before taking off, out into the front yard again. Jake follows close behind, growling of how he is going to get him. The dog is right behind them, deciding to join the chase.  

Laughing, I stay seated as my eyes follow them both, with the cat now taking up residence on my lap.

* * *

In a flash, I was back in the Elyys’tell, the idol now in Jake’s hand, his concerned eyes on me.

“Princess? What is it?” he asks quietly, and I snap out of it.

“What?” I ask him.

“You just grinned suddenly. Out of nowhere,” he says, held his palm out against my forehead as if checking my temperature. Only then do I realise I am still grinning. My cheeks are hurting.

“Nothing,” I breathe out, my voice light and airy.

“…Princess?”

I laugh out loud, unable to hold back the deep, _deep_ joy my heart is bursting with at having witnessed the scene I just did.

“What? I’m happy!” I assure him, and lean in to give him a long kiss.

“Well, now _I’m_ happy,” Jake drawls, pulling me close.

Still smiling like an absolute idiot, I forget all about the idols, the Vaantis, and our friends for just a moment, as I snuggle into him, my head against his chest.

“Oh, you are going to be happy. For a long, _long_ time,” I promise him

And, well, what do you know? Eleven years later, my little ‘vision’ came true.


End file.
